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This is an audio file of Ms. Shokooh Mirzadegi's article on the occasion of October 29th, the International Day of Cyrus the Great. She ponders on two historical models of Cyrus the Great and Assurbanipal and endeavors to see which model Iranian people have adopted for themselves in this day and age. October 29th International Day Cyrus the Great. Assurbanipal Iran Persia Persian Mirzadegi

As one of the world’s most important archeological sites registered by UNESCO, and as the mausoleum of the founder of Iran and the first political ruler of the world who has spoken about the rights of humans, Pasargad has always been the focus of the world’s attention and, thus, the recent repairs executed to this ancient monument have attracted the attention of many experts inside and outside Iran.

It is for some time that the authorities of Cultural Heritage Organization and the executors of the repairs have prevented the public to approach this monument while they have been executing their repairs. At the same time, they claim that the scientific procedures for repairs have been rightly observed. Nevertheless, some archeologists and experts in Iran believe that the repairs are completely unprofessional and are destructing the monument rather than repairing it. Unfortunately, due to the pressures of the security organizations, these archeologists and experts, as well as the reporters who have published reports on the process, cannot openly and publicly talk to the international organizations such as UNESCO with their real identities.

The International Committee to Save Pasargad, a branch of Pasargad Heritage Foundation, that has been involved in monitoring of what is happening in Iran with regards to the cultural heritage of the country and has publicized the intentional destruction of archeological sites on the international media, has been following the Pasargad saga through its members and friends in Iran. By gathering many pictures, videos and reports on this matter, we have come to the conclusion that due to undisclosed reasons the relevant authorities do not want the public to become aware of what has happened to the mausoleum during this recent repair. At the same time, the reports published in government sponsored media are in totally disagreement with our records. For example, they claim that the mausoleum has been under repairs during the last seven years, whereas our records show that they have only worked for short periods of time in the last four years in a scattered manner, using unprofessional methods and means, according to experts and reporters.

We believe that the aim and intent of everyone involved should be to preserve this ancient cultural site and the differences in opinions should not derail our focus of attention. Therefore, we hereby suggest that UNESCO does not rely solely on the reports prepared by the authorities in Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran and, instead, send its experts to Iran to examine the site. At the same time, we apply for the permission to send our experts representatives both from inside and outside of Iran, to accompany UNESCO’s observers.